Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 59
Route 30 reopens near Idlewild after crash closed it for nearly 90 minutes
One person was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital following a two-vehicle crash on Route 30 near Idlewild & SoakZone on Saturday afternoon in Ligonier Township. The eastbound lanes of Route 30 were closed for nearly 90 minutes and were reopened just after 3 p.m., according to Westmoreland County 911. Officials...
Mt. Pleasant woman’s appeal of human trafficking conviction rejected
A Chinese national’s 2019 human trafficking conviction was upheld this week by a state appeals court. Hui Xu, 48, formerly of Mt. Pleasant, completed a sentence of nearly two years in jail in 2021. She pleaded guilty to two counts of human trafficking and single charges of promoting prostitution and...
Owners of Trump House in Youngstown not liable for 2016 crash, appeals court rules
The owners of a shrine to former President Donald Trump in Youngstown are not liable for a vehicle crash nearly six years ago that injured two people, a state appeals court has ruled. The Pennsylvania Superior Court this week affirmed a previous ruling by Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Chris...
Penn-Trafford to explore school mergers, new construction
The Penn-Trafford School board has authorized two studies to explore the district’s future, which could include closing underused facilities and building larger schools to accommodate rising enrollment. Board members agreed to pay two companies about $18,000 each for a demographic analysis of the district and the feasibility study examining consolidation...
All charges dismissed against Westmoreland jail guard union leader
The president of the union that represents corrections officers at Westmoreland County Prison will remain off the job pending an internal investigation although charges related to a July domestic dispute were dismissed Wednesday. Scott Kennedy, 40, of North Irwin, was charged this month with strangulation, terroristic threats, simple assault and...
East Vandergrift man to serve up to 5 years in prison for thefts, DUI and disarming of police
An East Vandrgrift man blamed heavy drinking and “wanting to buy things to tinker around with” as the reason he drained the bank accounts of a nursing home patient last year, according to police. John W. Ebner, 34, also stole a motorcycle and disarmed police officers trying to arrest him,...
Dr. Oz denies report of Trump regret during campaign stop at Westmoreland Fair
Dr. Mehmet Oz rejected media reports that surfaced over the weekend that suggested former President Donald Trump had soured on his U.S. Senate candidacy. “It’s not true. It’s not true at all. He’s been very supportive, offering advice. His team has been helpful as well, and he’ll be coming to...
Westmoreland banks loan for East Huntingdon industrial park development
Financing for a $6.3 million project to develop nearly 79 acres at an East Huntingdon industrial park is finalized, Westmoreland County development officials announced this week. County commissioners, serving as members of the county’s Industrial Development Corp., approved an agreement for a $2.25 million low-interest loan through the Pennsylvania Industrial...
Westmoreland commissioners accept state grant to pay for elections
Elections office workers in Westmoreland County will have to begin counting mail-in ballots at 7 a.m. when polls open and continue working around the clock until the process is complete. It’s part of a pledge county commissioners made this week when they signed off on a deal to accept a...
Commissioners approve settlement of federal lawsuit filed by former inmate
Westmoreland County commissioners on Thursday approved a $2,500 payment to settle a federal lawsuit filed by a former prison inmate who claimed he was mistreated at the Hempfield facility. Christopher Batch, 33, of Pittsburgh contended that while incarcerated in 2019 guards and other staff at the county prison mishandled his...
Westmoreland County receives first payment of opioid settlement
Westmoreland County and its 11 largest municipalities will split nearly $3 million this year as part of the first installments paid out from a $26 billion national settlement of a federal lawsuit with drug manufacturers implicated in the opioid epidemic. Commissioners on Thursday approved a resolution to receive the county’s...
Former Westmoreland County probation officer not guilty of official oppression
A former Westmoreland County probation officer was acquitted Wednesday for an alleged threat to jail a man she supervised on house arrest if he broke off their sexual relationship. The seven woman, five man jury deliberated less than one hour before they returned the not guilty verdict to a misdemeanor...
Sewickley Township man guilty of sex assault of teen
A Westmoreland County jury deliberated one hour Tuesday afternoon before convicting a Sewickley Township man of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl. Steven K. Stemmler, 39, was found guilty of statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault and corruption of a minor after the two-day trial....
Trial begins for Westmoreland probation officer accused of official oppression
A Derry Township man told jurors in Westmoreland County court Tuesday that his female probation officer threatened to send him to jail if he broke off their sexual relationship. Paul Barsoum testified during the first day in the trial of Mary Jo Borelli that he believed his pretrial release would...
Teen accuser described as desperate, jealous in Ruffs Dale sex assault trial
The lawyer for a Ruffs Dale man accused of having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl told a Westmoreland County jury on Monday the allegations were brought by a desperate and jealous teenager. Prosecutors contend Steven K. Stemmler, 39, had a sexual relationship with the teenager that started in...
Delmont woman pleads guilty for threats to Westmoreland County judge
A Delmont woman who pleaded guilty to harassing the judge who presided over a family court case she was involved in was sentenced to seven years’ probation and 18 months’ house arrest. Jennifer Gesuale, 43, pleaded guilty this month to three sets of criminal charges, including allegations she illegally recorded...
Arnold man sentenced for city shooting
An Arnold man was ordered to serve up to nine years in prison for his role in a shooting near the city’s police station more than three years ago. Michael Todd Lasko, 30, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and two firearms offenses in connection with gunfire that erupted May 24,...
Westmoreland broadband survey searching for service, speed
Ed Egloff still can’t understand why, after 25 years of having internet service at his Derry Township auto body shop and nearby home, he has been cut off from the web. “They’ve got to do something. This is terrible,” Egloff said. His properties sit a few miles north of Route...
Doug Mastriano brings gubernatorial campaign to Westmoreland County
State Sen. Doug Mastriano made a campaign stop Friday in Westmoreland County, where he received the endorsement in his race for governor from the county’s Republican Party chairman and state Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward. Speaking before a crowd of several hundred supporters in a clearing at the Slickville Sportsman’s...
Westmoreland GOP retains top leaders
With recent successes at the ballot box and increases on the voter registration rolls, Westmoreland County Republicans voted to keep the party’s leadership team in place for another two years. GOP committee members gathered at Hempfield Park on Thursday and reelected, without opposition, the party’s executive team for a second...
‘Top dog’ pleads guilty for role in Westmoreland heroin trafficking ring
A Jeannette man who prosecutors described as the “top dog” of a multi-million dollar heroin trafficking ring that operated throughout Westmoreland County in 2017 has pleaded guilty to drug and conspiracy charges. Chauncy Bray, 32, has been behind bars since his arrest five years ago, when police said he and...
$20 million self-driving vehicle testing, training facility to be built in East Huntingdon
A $20 million facility for testing and research of self-driving vehicles will be built in Westmoreland County, state officials announced Thursday. The project unveiled by PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian will be built on about 100 acres of state-owned land at the Regional Industrial Development Corp. in East Huntingdon. Officials said...
Westmoreland transit touts rider gains
Ridership on Westmoreland County Transit Authority vehicles continues to rebound from a slump hastened by the coronavirus pandemic, officials said this week. Through the first seven months of 2022, the number of passengers traveling on Westmoreland’s public transportation bus system has increased to more than 12,800 per month. Overall, ridership...
Westmoreland municipal authority moves forward with water, sewer upgrades
More than $2 million in upgrades, including water line replacements in Murrysville, were approved Wednesday by the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County. The authority will spend more than $1.3 million to replace a water line on Murry Highlands Circle and McWilliams Road that serves about 50 customers. Officials said the...
High-speed motorcycle chase in Hempfield results in probation, house arrest sentence
A Scottdale man pleaded guilty this week to charges in connection with a high-speed motorcycle chase last summer that police said reached speeds in excess of 107 mph. Cameron Scott Ulery, 27, told a Westmoreland County judge he fled from police after leaving Live! Casino Pittsburgh at Westmoreland Mall in...
